Swiss Android users setting up a new phone no longer see the screen that lets them pick a default search engine. Their counterparts in the European Union and the European Economic Area still do. The discrepancy has prompted Switzerland's competition watchdog, the Competition Commission (WEKO), to open a preliminary investigation into Google.
WEKO announced on Tuesday that its secretariat had launched a probe to determine whether removing the so-called "Choice Screen" violates Swiss cartel law by unlawfully restricting competition. "Default settings play a crucial role in digital markets," the regulator said in a statement. "Eliminating this feature could restrict the visibility of search engines that compete with Google during device setup, thereby increasing barriers to market entry."
Why Swiss Users Lost the Choice Screen
The choice screen originated as a remedy in the European Commission's landmark Android antitrust case. In March 2020, Google agreed to display it on all new Android devices shipped to the EEA and the United Kingdom. The obligation was later reinforced by the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), which requires designated gatekeepers—Google was named one in September 2023—to show users choice screens and allow them to easily change defaults. Google expanded its choice screens in March 2024 to comply.
Switzerland is neither an EU nor an EEA member, and the DMA does not apply on Swiss territory. No equivalent Swiss obligation exists. Swiss officials had assumed they would not need one. A 2023 assessment by the government's Interdepartmental Coordination Group on EU Digital Policy concluded that large foreign gatekeepers would apply EU rules in Switzerland anyway, reasoning that treating the two markets differently would not be financially worthwhile. Google's removal of the choice screen directly tests that assumption.
Switzerland does have a platform law in the pipeline. The Federal Council opened a consultation in October 2025 on a Federal Act on Communication Platforms and Search Engines, which closed in February. However, the bill is modelled on the EU's Digital Services Act rather than the DMA, focusing on content moderation and transparency rather than default settings. It is not expected to reach parliament before late 2026 or early 2027, and would not cover this case.
The investigation comes amid broader European scrutiny of Google's market power. The EU's top court recently upheld a €4.1 billion fine against Google over Android antitrust violations, and a Swedish court ordered Google to pay €1.7 billion to Klarna's PriceRunner for search abuse. These cases underscore the tension between Google's business practices and European competition law.
For Swiss consumers, the immediate effect is a less competitive search market on Android devices. Without the choice screen, Google Search remains the default, making it harder for rivals like DuckDuckGo or Ecosia to gain visibility. WEKO's investigation will examine whether this constitutes an abuse of dominance under Swiss law.
The outcome could have implications beyond Switzerland. If WEKO finds that Google's removal of the choice screen is unlawful, it may set a precedent for how non-EU European countries can enforce competition rules in the absence of EU-style digital regulation. It also raises questions about the DMA's extraterritorial effects—or lack thereof—on the wider European continent.
